


A Lifetime In My Heart

by quicksylver28



Series: Little Black Dress - Works in Sentinel Fandom [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Black Hermione Granger, Character Study, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Light Angst, Multi, Romance, Shaman Blair Sandburg, Spirit Animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:26:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksylver28/pseuds/quicksylver28
Summary: Harry and Hermione settle in cascade to learn more about their abilities from Jim and Blair but things are never as simple as they seem.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Series: Little Black Dress - Works in Sentinel Fandom [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/306114
Comments: 10
Kudos: 60
Collections: Rough Trade Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct Sequel to Forward to the Fray and i'm not entirely sure if it's finished yet. i had to end it because of the parameters of the April Rough Trade Challenge but i feel as if there is still some things i should address instead of leaving it to a sequel. this may remain open ended for a while until i can get back to it.
> 
> UPDATE: I have had no inspiration for write for this story anytime soon. if i change my mind i will add another chapter but until then, consider it done.

"Wow, when you said that you had gotten a place near the college, I was thinking more along the lines of college dorms."

Blair blinked at the bright and airy penthouse apartment, his wide blue eyes taking in the sparse yet comfortable furniture, the many plush and colourful rugs and seating cushions, the small but well equipped kitchen and the large balcony filled with plants and tatami mats through the open sliding doors.

Hermione laughed and took his satchel bag from his limp fingers, hanging it over one of the tall chairs along the butcher block kitchen island. "We thought about it for all of three seconds and panned the idea completely. Just the idea of living in a cramped dorm with loud, noisy hormone ridden college students seemed like an exercise in self-flagellation."

"The smell alone still haunts me from the tour we took at orientation." Harry mock shuddered from where he was cutting up ingredients for salad, his face curled in a grimace. "Let's just say that we've recently been given access to some funds held in trust for us and decided to splurge a little. This place has everything thing we need."

Hermione nodded. "Yup. Close to the university campus and the park. There's a private pool and parking garage as well as space enough on the roof for a small greenhouse. Great view of the city and easy access to public transport. Plus, the construction of the building is quality enough that we have a good amount of built in sound proofing from both the city and our neighbours."

"Tell me about it," Harry made another face. "And it beats living in hotels. If I have to listen to another couple have loud and, by how it sounded, mediocre sex through paper thin walls, I may just fling myself into the harbour."

"Don't judge other people's sex lives, Harry." Hemione chided, poking her sentinel in his side and smirking as he squealed and squirmed away from her finger. "No matter how mediocre they may be."

Blair lid unto the chair with a chuckle, accepting a glass of crisp white wine from the young guide. He gave her raised eyebrow as he expertly swirled the wine in his glass and brought it to his nose. Hermione laughed, her pink curls bouncing around her face as she shook her head.

"Don't worry Doc. Wine is for guests and cooking only. We're sticking to sparkling water."

"Speak for yourself, " Harry griped good naturedly, scrounging up his nose in irritation. "… those damn bubbles have become my bane these past few weeks. After a few years in Africa not drinking it at all, never thought I would miss drinking soda."

"That's understandable." Blair pursed his lips in thought. "It's an added layer of stimuli that you will have to work your way through. It should pass soon enough, or at least become tolerable."

Hermione nodded, "That's what I thought, thus the sparkling water. Taking out the taste layer so that we can deal with those dastardly bubbles by themselves."

"Amen." Harry grumbled. "God forbid me having to drink flat soda for the rest of my life."

They all laughed as Harry finished his prep and began tossing the salad in a large wooden bowl with some homemade vinaigrette. The older man hummed at the warm sense on homeyness that already permeated the brightly lit apartment. It had been less than two months since the couple had walked into his classroom at the university and upended his world, bringing with them a fantastical tale to incredible to believe.

He'd often despaired, in the years since he'd met Jim, that they would never find anyone like them; that they would remain unique and alone, only stumbling across rogues like Alex, who had grown warped and dangerous from being solitary for so long. To be found by an already bonded pair, happy and healthy and seeking Blair out for counsel, had loosened a knot in him that he hadn't even realized had been tucked under his ribs.

Not to mention the endless knowledge contained in the three massive binders that the young woman had thumped on his desk with a proud grin; enough data held within them to feed the next decade of his research. There had also been an instant kin ship that blossomed between them, a love of knowledge and study that drove them both.

He'd been even more ecstatic when they'd approached him about attending summer courses at Rainier, Hermione wanting to dip her toes in Anthropology so that she could better relate to Blair's passion for the subject. Harry, on the other hand, just wanted to get some varied courses to firm up the informal education he'd gotten in Africa.

They had proven to be bright, driven young people with a bond that rang strong and deep, tempered by years of love and friendship and he was all the happier for knowing them. For knowing that he and Jim weren't alone. For knowing that there was someone who shared their experiences. Who he could talk to when he felt alone and overwhelmed in his care for his own sentinel.

He huffed softly and brushed off the melancholy thoughts that had been creeping in and curled his mouth around the lip of his wine glass, making a soft noise of pleasure as the wine's delicate flavour burst across his tongue. He held the glass up to look at the wine before taking another, deeper sip.

"Oh... This is wonderful."

He licked his lips and made a noise of satisfaction, looking up at the Hermione who was placing a dish full of freshly tossed pasta in deep red sauce to the table. The young woman preened, bumping her shoulder against Harry as she hustled off to grab the cutlery.

"Thank Harry here. We were doing a spot test at the grocers. Trying to see if he could smell the wines through the sealed corks enough to differentiate the different flavours. We just got the one that smelt the best to him."

"That's such a great idea!" Blair perked up, eyes bright. "Will you be willing to share the data you collected with me? I know that you've already shared so much that it'll probably take me years to wrap my mind around all of it but there's nothing like field research you know. Finding out if those old records different from what's happening now. Oh boy, Jim hates it when I try to test the limits of his senses. He's always hated them. He thinks they're annoying and always brushes me off unless I really needle him."

His bright smile wavered a bit and he took a sip of wine to cut himself off from rambling on, missing the fleeting glance that the younger pair exchanged as the joyful mood dipped. Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand, smiling when he met her warm brown eyes.

"Of course I'll share the data with you, Blair. We guides really have to stick together to keep up with our sentinels."

"I'll drink to that." Blair raised his glass, his smile brightening once again.

Dinner was excellent and afterwards they settled on the cushions in front of the fake fireplace. Conversation flowed, touching on funny stories of daily life on campus and quirky anecdotes of Blair's childhood travels with his eccentric mother.

They delicately talked around the subject of Jim and the way he hadn’t really warmed up to the young couple the way Blair had. The way the man stayed wary of them yet never seemed interested in any of the overtures they've tried to make in the subsequent weeks to get to know each other better. They politely skipped over the fact that they'd only ever been over to the loft at 852 Prospect one time and that was the afternoon that they'd first introduced themselves to the older couple.

They don't discuss how Jim was consistently abrupt, even rude, just bordering on antagonistic towards Harry in particular, in an obvious staking of territory that most times seemed to include Blair and the irritation and anger the smaller man felt to be caught in the middle of it.

Harry retreated to the kitchen to wash up while Blair followed Hermione to the office she'd set up for all their research in the smaller guest bedroom. The walls were lined with shelves for their mundane books, the more sensitive magical ones stored in an expandable trunk disguised as an artsy footrest.

Percy had sent along a sleek Stark computer, tricked out with Goblin warding tech so that it wouldn't short out being surrounded by prolonged magic. The redhead was shamelessly using them as guinea pigs for the idea and they loved him for it, eager to invest in the project should it get off the ground.

Both of them had geeked out over the wickedly complex arithmancy that they'd been able to discern from an image of the talisman the Percy had been able to show them. As far as they knew, even MACUSA didn't have anything as advanced or cutting edge. And with Tony Stark apparently in the know about magic these days, the man was sure to make waves in the slow moving, often backwards society.

The room itself was double warded, the security runes that lined the doors and mouldings carved meticulously by them both. They'd discovered that even though Harry no longer had a magical core, he was still able to arrange and carve runes and arrays; his spiritual connection to Hermione allowed for her to power said constructs after the fact. It required intense concentration though, usually proceeded by hours of meditation and deep concentration to synch up their intents and expectations.

He was just setting the last saucepan to dry when laughter made him turn to see both guides leaving the room, Hermione running her finger tips over the key array to reset it as she passed. It had become habit by now to do so even after just a couple of weeks living there. Drying his hands, he joined them on the cushions once more, passing out some bottles of water and getting into the lotus position.

This was the first time that they would be doing a guided meditation with Blair in somewhere that felt safer than a hotel room. They'd tried a few times but Harry had never felt safe enough to go too deep. Just the thought of putting himself and his guide in such a vulnerable state without someone to watch over them and keep them safe had put him on edge. Every soft word from down the hall or shrill from the busy street below would knock him right out of it and leave him feeling off kilter.

The apartment was different with all its wards and seals. He felt settled there. At peace. Safe and secure. When he'd broached the subject with his guide, she'd confessed to feeling the same way; suggesting that they'd most likely claimed the place as their territory and thus would feel safer there.

Harry had nodded thoughtfully in agreement, remembering how he'd all but claimed the Doctors Without Borders compound and would prowl the perimeter like clockwork, eventually coming to know the staff and volunteers by their heartbeat alone. He'd felt safe and contented there too. Secure in his territory and his ability to defend it. Cascade, on the other hand, was still new to him with its sights, smells and sounds and their apartment was an comforting oasis in the middle of such unfamiliar waters.

Harry shook his head ruefully, wondering how Ellison did it, claiming the whole city as his territory. Harry would have been overwhelmed from the get go. He chalked it up to the man's military experience and maturity. He chuffed at the thought. Ha. Ellison wasn't being very mature at the moment, judging from the faint scent of distress that had been clinging to Blair for the past few weeks.

They'd discussed it, Harry and Hermione, and had agreed to stay out of it for the time being. They were stepping into a situation already in play for years and it was never a good idea to get between two people over something that was frankly none of their business. All they could do really was give Blair the support and friendship he needed while they surreptitiously buffered his shields.

Guided meditation with Blair was vastly different that anything Harry and Hermione had experienced in Africa. Where Harry and Hermione's shared spirit plane had manifested itself as a vast savannah, with wide open skies and lush green vistas; Blair's was a dense, verdant jungle, with towering trees and dappled sunlight over vibrant flowers and rushing clear rivers.

The man's shamanistic powers surged and ebbed across the entire plane, swirling in and around the teens as they traversed the space, thrumming through them with a welcoming warmth that had their bond flourishing happily as it steadily grew stronger.

Faraji and Dayo came out to explore the new vista, much to Blair's delight. His own spirit animal, a great grey wolf, still remained elusive to the man to his quiet dismay; appearing fleetingly withing the dense forest but never coming closer. Apparently Jim's panther was the same, only appearing in cases of dire emergency.

They didn't even have names, which had surprised the teens when Blair had first spoken about it, the faint thread of hurt and rejection buried deep in his voice. Hermione had immediately delved into her notes and she and Blair had spent many an hour going over the data and talking about what she and Harry had gone through with their own companions.

It was slow going, despite their best efforts. Blair's wolf still remained aloof but he often wandered closer, taking longer to vanish into the bush. The older man's breathless joy at that small gesture alone had been heart-breaking and both teens swore to help as much as they could.

Seeing Blair kneel before their companions with such a look of awe and reverence on his face made something twist in both Harry's and Hermione's hearts and they looked at each other. The man was surely Tribe, a respected elder, just as Hermione's parents were. Even if he weren’t a shaman and Alpha Guide of the City, both teens were in agreement that he man was still a treasured companion.

Harry came out of the session feeling relaxed and somewhat giddy, sharing wide grins with a flushed Hermione as their bond sang between them. It was a vast difference from the struggle it had been in the beginning. Hermione, armed only with her mum's scant knowledge of Yoga, the dusty tomes of the basement archive of Côte-d'Ivoire L'Academie De L'unité Magique as well as the hurriedly copied journal Percy had snuck from the Doctors at Santa Brigita's; had managed to cobble together a regimen that suited them both after much trial and error.

Though, while his guide had taken to the combined yoga/meditation/exercise routine like a proverbial duck to water, Harry'd had a much tougher time of it; struggling to clear or settle his mind enough to make any real progress. He'd never been one for sitting still and introspection. It reminded him too much of his formative years trapped in a cramped and silent cupboard, holding his thin little body absolutely still, not making a sound so as not to incur the wrath of any of the Dursley's. Too many years filled with fear and sinister dread wrapped in silence and stillness.

Hogwarts had been noise and light and warmth and freedom, slinging himself from one experience to the next, trying to stuff as much life down his throat until he was all but choking on it all. He'd been like a boy possessed, needing to keep moving from one thing to another, jumping into another crisis just as the last one had settled. Ron's friendship had been like fireworks in the dark quiet of his mind, Hermione like glass prism, sharp and filled with intense light and colour.

Others had been light bright sources of light smashing and scattering across the empty dark, illuminating his life in pops and sparks. Dumbledore, Sirius, Snape, hell, even Voldemort was there with his insidious green flame that flickered and whispered in corners. Looking back on it now, Harry wondered if his 'people saving thing' hadn't been more of a 'Live fast. Die young. Leave a good looking corpse thing' instead.

It was during his time in the squib hospital, recovering from having his magical core ripped out, that he'd had to come to terms with the fact that his fate as the Hero's Sacrifice that he'd been groomed almost from birth into becoming, had been subverted, leaving him all but cast aside and declared useless, a worthless weapon with no target or purpose.

For so long Harry had been running, either to something or from something. Escaping from some nameless, relentless dread that dogged him from one breath to the next. His life had been a series of reaction after reaction, life and destiny twisting around him, pushing and pulling him along like a rag doll. He grown accustomed to it, had resigned himself to it; and when it had been brutally stripped away by Riddle's desperate attempt to defy death one last time, Harry had almost gone insane from its absence.

His Magic, the one thing that he thought that no one would ever be able to taken from him, was gone. Ripped away from his clinging hands like almost every other good thing he'd treasured in his life. The pain of it had been immense, the hysterical shrill of Riddle's enraged and desperate shrieking as he clawed savagely at Harry's magical core had felt like a physical thing. So real that even when he'd been screaming himself hoarse and writhing on the infirmary bed, he'd actually looked down at his chest to see if he was bleeding from physical wounds.

Then, after it was all said and done and Ridddle's soul ripped apart and dragged to hell, Harry had been plunged into a silence so cold, so dark and so deep that it left him stunned and reeling.

It had taken him six months to recover enough to travel to Africa with Percy, and another few years and more to find himself once more. Fragments of the old Harry had clung to him like cobwebs, muddling his brain and sent him spiralling down emotional pitfalls. It had taken Hermione's patience, infinite care and compassion and sometimes her scorching ire to get him to the good place he enjoyed currently.

He cracked open his water and drank hungrily, smiling around the rim as Hermione delved into deep conversation with Blair about the five kinds of African Spiritualistic Meditation and how she had painstakingly curated a regimen that actually helped Harry instead of just making him fall asleep from utter boredom.

He straightened his spine, making a face at the memory of how awful his posture used to be. Long term childhood malnutrition and the habit of slouching in on himself in order to be a smaller target had not done Harry nor his spine any favours and it had taken years of nutritional supplements and the Doctors Granger awesome parenting influence to get him sitting and standing properly. Sometimes he still forgot, reaching his hand to rub against the base of his spine as he drained the last of the water.

Faraji rumbled into being behind him and he gladly leaned back unto the lion, warm and content both in body and spirit as he felt the rise and fall of the spirit animal's massive chest. Hermione and Blair had stopped talking to stare in awe at the huge lion sprawled in the middle of the room and Harry smirked as the vain bugger shook his huge mane and roared with smug pride. Thankfully, Faraji could only be heard by those he chose or they would have been kicked out of their place over noise complaints long ago.

Blair took his leave a short while after, his entire being relaxed and happy and wrapped in Harry and Hermione's affection. Harry sighed as he walked out unto the balcony, scanning the street below for the curly haired man. He spotted him hailing a cab and followed the car until it finally swung out of view.

The evening air was crisp as Hermione slung her arms around his waist, leaning her warmth into his back and nuzzling at his neck.

"I worry for him. For them both." Harry murmured, his voice almost taken by the wind and the noise of the city. "I know we agreed to stay out of whatever it is between them but I still worry."

"Of course you worry Harry. You wouldn't be you if you didn't worry. Sentinel or not, you care deeply about those you love." His guide hummed, pressing a kiss to the soft warmth of his neck. "But Blair and Jim are grown men and we know too little about what we are to judge on what is normal and what is not."

She pressed her cheek against his shoulder blade and he centered himself on her steady and familiar heartbeat. He frowned to himself and placed his hands on hers.

" I want them both to feel the same joy we do. They are great people and deserve better. Even though Ellison's being a bit of an arse right now."

Hermione chuckled and let Harry turn around in her embrace so that they were now facing each other. She pressed a kiss to the underside of his chin and he hummed in contentment.

From what Blair had shared with the young couple about Jim's past, they understood a bit of about his reservations and mistrust. The older sentinel had been through a lot, even before coming online and ever since he'd started the journey to discovering his powers; he suffered through a lot of pain and loss.

Still, that didn't mean that he had to be as stubborn old cuss to his own guide as well. Blair hid it well, but the easy partnership and understanding between Harry and Hermione had thrown his own relationship with Jim into a new and unflattering light.

It was a private matter, one that the curly haired man didn't like to discuss, so Harry and Hermione respected that and didn't broach the subject again.

"Don't worry." Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth. "He's not alone now. They've got us and we'll get through this together. You'll see. Jim will realize what an absolute gem he has in Blair and get his shit together. Just you wait."

"My Hermione. The eternal optimist." Harry grinned and squirmed as she nipped along his jaw in response. "Where is that practical girl who thought getting expelled from school was a fate worse than death?"

"I'll show you a fate worse than death, you git!"

She growled and dug her fingers into his sides, making him squeal with unrestrained laughter and chased him as he ducked out from her hold and scrambled into the apartment.

She laughed as they chased each other around a lounging Faraji, a screeching Dayo joining them as he jumped up and down on the couch. She finally tackled unto the cushions and kissed him, revelling in the sight of her sentinel and love of her life laughing, wild and unrestrained.

So far had they come from those Hogwarts days. Not that she didn't treasure those memories still but she glad to leave behind the fear and prejudice and the tragic hero and broken boy Harry had been there.

She kissed him again, grinding against him and was rewarded with a breathless moan. She smiled coyly as she rotated her hips, driving Harry's moan deeper as his face started to flush.

"Are you ready to surrender to your fate, Mr. Potter." she drawled out his name and giggled as he gave her a look of utter dismay.

"Please, for the love of Merlin, do not imitate Snape while you're kissing me. I may just throw up on you."

His hands came up to rest against her hips as she cackled, snorting inelegantly as the image formed in her mind. Harry groaned and let his head thump against the carpet below.

"God, now I'll never get that out of my head."

She leaned over slowly, carefully pressing her body against his; enjoying every hitch of his breath and the flush of his neck as she pressed her lips to the sensitive skin just below his ear.

"I guess I'll have to do something else to keep you occupied then."

She kissed him then, hungrily and deeply, as his hands slid down to squeeze her full bottom. They still hadn't done everything yet, at first waiting until they were legal for their parents sake and their own, but then wanting to take it slow as their bond grew and matured.

They still did things, of course, hot things. Really hot things. But they were both comfortable with taking it in their own timing. They felt comfortable and unrushed, exploring each other tenderly and patiently. Hermione appreciated Harry for that and knew that he in turn was grateful to her for being tender and understanding with him as well.

Neither of them had ever been followers of social norms and they absolutely refused to let 'expected teen behavioural norms' to dictate to their relationship, physically, mentally or emotionally.

That's not to say that they could have some fun though.

Hermione sucked at that sensitive spot, humming as Harry's hips bucked helplessly. She could already feel his hardness through the fabric of his cargo pants and gave the spot one last lick. Standing up, she held out a hand to him and he took it without pause, jumping up to kiss her on the mouth.

They stumbled towards the bedroom, kissing and fondling and giggling as they went, leaving a trail of clothes behind and two smug spirit animals who quietly slipped off to the spirit plane, leaving their humans in privacy and peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Discussion of Mistreatment of squibs/ immigrants/ refugees in passing. Also a past suicide.

Cascade in summer was balmy and nice, much different from the brisk chill of the retreating spring when they'd first arrived in the city. Sure, there were still sudden downpours and humidity that made Hermione's hair look like a frazzled chicken but she was a big girl and had quickly learned the ins and outs of African hair wrapping techniques from the women at the DWB compound.  
  
Today was one such bad hair day, the skies had been grey all morning and the air was muggy and annoying. Usually a chipper morning person, even she couldn't bring herself to enjoy days when she had morning classes at the college. Thankfully, it was the only day of the week, the rest of them scheduled later in the day.  
  
She'd taken one look at her curls that morning and had said 'fuck it', grabbing a brilliantly coloured scarf her mother had gifted her for her birthday and had deftly tucked it all away neatly.  
  
Harry was still abed, sprawled across the bed like a starfish, the sheet doing little to cover his naked body. She was loathed to leave him when he looked like that, wanting nothing more than to join him in their warm bed and snuggle in for the day but alas, she had an in-born dedication to her education.  
  
A snug pair of boots, a warm puffed jacket and a thermos of hot tea and she was ready for a morning of learning. She stopped by a street vendor and purchased two soft pretzels, piping hot in their paper bag; and ate them as she made her way to the campus.  
  
Rainier University was a sprawling compound, full of academic buildings interspersed with well-maintained green spaces and water features. There were fewer people around than usual, this being the summer months, and Hermione appreciated that fact.  
  
Harry certainly did. He still got a bit antsy in crowds and being at the school during the less busy time helped him ease into the sensory overload that was living in a city as large as this one.  
  
People said that cities were like concrete jungles but having lived in an actual jungle, Hermione begged to disagree. Cities were… an assault to the senses. Loud and noisy and smelly and utterly distracting and there was always an undercurrent of dread deep in her belly that Harry would zone on one small innocuous thing and fall in to a coma and die.  
  
Okay, that was a bit melodramatic but it didn't stop her from feeling that way.  
  
Hell, she'd been through a lot of fucked up shit. Including shanking the dark fuck through his gnarly earhole, being sentenced to the Dementor's kiss, becoming a fugitive from Wizarding Britain and fleeing to Africa, having to learn a whole new system magical learning and dealing with Harry's ravaged magical core manifesting in an entirely unique path.  
  
Still, she gotten through it. She'd gotten herself through it. And she'd had Harry beside her. Harry and her parents and the friends she'd made at L'Academie. They'd all helped her work through the riot of emotions and trauma that came with being the Girl Who Vanquished.  
  
Hermione had always dealt with crises by turning to her support system. Turning outward just like Harry'd always turned inward. Both of them had problems with authority figures but in different ways.  
  
Harry had been brutally taught not to trust in anyone to help him, every remotely parental or guardian figure he'd even known had either left or disappointed him when he needed them most. He internalized everything, not trusting anyone but himself to care much less do something about his issues.  
  
Hermione had been on the opposite end of the spectrum for a long time. Trusting too much in her elders, taking their advice too much to heart. Her problem had been thinking that all adults and authority figures had her best interests at heart, just like her parents did. That is not to say that her parents were perfect people. They too had their faults and made mistakes.  
  
It had taken Hermione meeting Harry and becoming his friend to shake the very foundations of her beliefs. Then, it had taken being betrayed by the very world she'd come to love to rattle the last of her misplaced loyalties loose.  
  
Respect had to earned, not freely given. Older didn't mean wiser and authority did not mean care or protection. Loyalty was hard won and unwavering and trust went hand in hand with forgiveness; tempered with tender patience and honest affection.  
  
And as hard as it was for her to rebuild herself, it had been doubly hard for Harry. The poor boy had been so fucked since the night Voldemort exploded his life that he didn't even have the first clue how the jagged pieces of himself fit together. Even now, all of the pieces still didn't quite fit and it was still an everyday effort to deal with past traumas but they had each other and their family and friends to lean on.  
  
Draco kept in touch via messenger and had them cracking up with stories of Grandmaman Apollinaire and both Harry and Hemione followed Vince and Greg's Instagram for their Beefcakes with Beefsteaks shop.  
  
Both Fleur and Gabrielle loved writing letters via snail mail with their monogrammed stationary and delicate penmanship while Percy loved to snap off short and concise emails.  
  
Her parents were just a Skype away thanks to the wicked communication set up Percy had help them source and deliver to the DWB compound. Then there was Viktor who reached out to Hermione once more in friendship, through Percy once again; and he had a preference for sending snapchat messages between games and other obligations.  
  
Now there was Blair and Jim, slowly making their way into the wonderfully interwoven network of their lives and Hermione was happy to have them.  
  
Blair was a bright spot in their lives in the city, both in his shamanistic powers as well as his gregarious personality. His quick wit and charismatic passion for discovery called out to Hermione in kinship. His enthusiasm and genuine friendliness had made them feel welcome at a time when they'd been most afraid of finding either rejection or another dead end.  
  
To be able to find someone like them after so many years of hiding, thinking that they were alone in the world and fearing the long reach of Wizarding Britain; had been almost dizzying. Then to be welcomed and embraced by someone with such power and experience almost instantly, well… Hermione had secretly wiped away none too few tears in those first few days.  
  
And Blair was so open minded and open hearted. Taking their story of magic and secret societies in stride. It was refreshing to say the least.  
  
He had been utterly charmed by the small MACUSA issued leather badge declaring him a 'No-Maj Officially-In-The-Know'. It was a deep blue, neatly embossed with the eagle emblem of the Magical Congress of the United States of America.  
  
The man had taken to turning it over and over in his hands with a look of wonder, reverently running his fingertips over the indents; opening and reading the decree inside with a sense of lingering disbelief.  
  
Along with Harry and Hermione's documented diplomatic status and licence to practice magic within the magical United States and Canada, Percy had also arranged for Special MACUSA permission to read both Blair and Jim into the magical world.  
  
He'd assured both teens that their status as Sentinel and Guide would be kept SUPER TOP SECRET within the government, calling in a few favours with someone high up enough to guarantee their anonymity. Only that person, along with a carefully selected liaison officer, would know the couples real names and location.  
  
They'd met MACUSA Agent Avedis 'Call me Naz' Nazaretyan one month after their arrival in the city. The man was sinfully handsome with his leather jacket, his five o'clock shadow and his curly hair swept up in a man bun.  
  
"Merlin…" Harry had murmured as the man all but sauntered towards them, "…if I didn't smell perfume and baby food on him, I would have suggested the both of us climbing him like a fucking tree."  
  
Hermione had laughed and agreed, the man was just too fucking sexy to even be legal. An Armenian by birth, Naz's parents were muggleborn immigrants who had come to America for a better life for their six children, of which four were magical and two were squibs.  
  
They had fled the awful squib purges of the old country and six year old Naz had clung to his younger brothers and sisters as squib men women and children from similar families had been secretly rounded up and sent off to 'treatment camps' never to be seen again.  
  
It had made him sensitive to the pain of his magically adjacent siblings and added an extra layer of his care of Harry and Hermione, coming to be more like a big brother to them rather than just another government stooge.  
  
He'd helped Harry to connect with several 'majacent' social services and community support groups and well as a few vocational schools that taught advanced classes in potions, runes and the like.  
  
That had made her sentinel happy and she loved seeing him on his laptop, researching and reading up on activities and other interests that he would eventually like to pursue. It made her happy to see her best friend and partner so engaged in his own future instead of dwelling on the past.  
  
Naz had also given Hermione a run down on the magical community in Cascade, as small as it was. There were a couple of magically hidden streets and markets and a few unplottable houses owned by old families but most of the community was expertly blended into the fabric of society.  
  
They'd scoped out several places but mostly kept out of the small, close knit community. Though America was much more accepting of squibs in general, Harry was still a very special case and they didn't want to bring too much attention to themselves anytime soon.  
  
For once, Hermione was content to just settle in and take things slowly.  
  
She ducked into her class just as it as starting, grabbing a seat to the side and balancing her thermos between her legs as she pulled out her books and pencil case. The teacher was engaging for the early hour it was and class flew by, Hermione taking copious notes between cups of tea from her thermos.  
  
She stayed a while, chatting with the other students before making her way to the library to return a book that Blair had recommended. She adored the place, with its wide open study spaces and huge skylights. She felt comfortable there, welcomed by polite and competent staff and well organized resources.  
  
Settling herself into one of her favourite nooks, she checked her phone for messages, smiling at the sleep mussed selfie Harry sent, the frown on his face at having woken up to an empty bed was adorable. She quickly sent back a picture of the books and pens spread on her lap and snorted when a picture of Harry's crossed legs in front of the television came back, a bowl of cereal and milk settled in his lap.  
  
"Lucky bugger." she huffed to herself and checked the rest of her social media.  
  
There were some memes from Draco and a new IG post from Crabbe and Goyle. Her mother had sent a video of the local children singing a song Hermione had taught them and she quickly dived for her headphones so that she could watch it immediately.  
  
She ended up watching it twice more, wiping away happy tears and sending the video to Harry after a thread of concern came over the bond. They were getting much better at being apart from each other without panicking. They were also getting better at sending coherent messages and not just raw, random feelings.  
  
She believed that a large part of that was due to Blair and his guided meditation. Also having someone to pour over the tonne of notes and research she'd compiled was a huge step up from where they'd been before. They'd certainly come a long way in their own abilities, both together and individually.  
  
She frowned as she suddenly thought of the pebble in their shoe. It's not that Jim hated them but he was enthusiastically unenthusiastic about engaging with them in any meaningful way. She had to admit that it hurt, seeing the man so cool towards them. It certainly affected Harry, being all but rejected by the one other person like him to their knowledge.  
  
Hermione had to admit that she hated the man a little bit for that. For all that Harry thought himself over his need for adult validation, it still stung him for Jim to actively avoid getting to know them better.  
  
In a way, she understood the man's reservations. Two people showing up out of the blue with a wealth of information and a massive state secret that shifted their entire world view, was not something that someone like Jim could swallow easily.  
  
Frankly, the fact that the man hadn't thrown and epic temper tantrum yet was a surprise. From the first day she'd met him Hermione has realized that the man hated change. He fought against it viciously then, after much effort on Blair's part, he grudgingly and sulkily accepted the change and dragged his feet to meet it.  
  
It irked her to see a grown man like that act like such a spoiled little boy and she was irrationally angry on Blair's behalf because of it. It made her not so charitable to the older sentinel though she tried not to let it bleed too much in her scent pile or over her bond with Harry.  
  
The man seriously needed to get over himself and be the Sentinel Blair deserved. And, even though it was hard to admit, she wanted him to be the Alpha that she'd yearned and hoped for as well.  
  
But, life was full of disappointments and Hermione was never one to let them slow her down.  
  
Hunger forced her out of the library and she stopped at a local vegan place and ordered a couple of Cobb Salads and a bottle of sweet iced tea before making her way back to the campus.  
  
Blair was in his office, head buried in a massive tome, when she knocked. He startled and looked up, smiling as she dropped into the chair in front of him and started to unpack the food.  
  
She waved a container of dressing at him and waited until he'd secured the book safely out of the way before handing it over with the bio-degradable cutlery.  
  
"Thanks." he mumbled between huge bites. "I often forget to stop lunch until my stomach alerts me by trying to eat itself."  
  
She chuckled, taking a sip of the tea. "Tell me about it. I passed out in school once because I spent so much time in the library I forgot to eat. Ron and Harry were so mad at me when I woke up in the infirmary."  
  
"Ron?" Blair tilted his head curiously, "He sounds like a good friend. I've never heard you speak of him before."  
  
Hermione stopped chewing and swallowed heavily, her smile falling away. "He's…. Ah… we sort of went our separate ways shortly after that. I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
Blair's eyes were full of compassion as he gave her a gentle smile. "Of course." he agreed easily. She was grateful for that.  
  
She hadn't thought about Ron in so long. The look on his face that day at Santa Brigita's. The cold hate in his voice for Harry, as though he had been responsible for Ginny's suicide and not Tom Riddle's horocrux. As thought Molly's disdain for mind healing and trauma therapy hadn't weakened the girl's psyche enough that she felt death was the only option after Voldemort's death.  
  
She'd only felt pity for him in the end, a sad sort of sympathy that his loss had changed him so intrinsically. Well, maybe not so much changed him but merely stripped away the thin veneer of civility the redhead had once possessed.  
  
In the end she'd left him behind as she'd left Britain behind. Just a faint memory, coloured by nostalgia and relegated to funny little anecdotes and snapshots of time.  
  
Thankfully Blair was an expert in the swift and seamless subject change and soon enough they were discussing he finer points of course subjects she was currently taking.  
  
They were arguing good naturedly and cleaning up the detritus of their meal when someone appeared in the open office door.  
  
"Jim!" Blair's smile was incandescent. "What brings you here?"  
  
Even without turning around, Hermione could hear the frown in the older man's voice. She started reaching for her bag, hoping to take her leave without some kind of confrontation.  
  
"I thought that I would bring you lunch." Jim's voice was flat and emotionless. There was a rustle of plastic bags. "But I see that you've already eaten."  
  
"Oh Man!" Blair was around the table and at his sentinel's side, trying to peak into the bag with a grin. "You got fish tacos from that place I love! That's way across town. You must have flown there to beat the downtown traffic at this time of day. Of wow! Let's eat these before they go cold."  
  
Jim didn't budge from the door. Hermione finally met his cool gaze but didn't speak. The man's eyes narrowed for a second before he turned to look at Blair.  
  
"Didn't you just have lunch though?"  
  
"Have you not known me since forever?" The curly haired man made an incredulous face, waving the taller man further into the office impatiently. "You know how much I love to eat. Especially since you went all this way to get my favourite dish in the city."  
  
Jim stared for a few more seconds before exhaling and stepping into the room. Hermione excused herself quietly, slipping out of the room and quickly slipping down the hall and away from the office.  
  
When she felt far enough away to out of the range of Jim's passive hearing, she exhaled slowly and leaned against a nearby wall. Merlin, that had been tense. Jim had not been happy to see her there. With Blair. Within his office space. Within what Jim saw as his territory. It was a wonder he didn't growl at her and pee in the corner.  
  
She shook her head and sighed. At least he was making an effort to appreciate Blair. Still, for an effort, it was pretty piss poor. But Hermione could be magnanimous and give the man a break. A small one.  
  
He really needed to have his head removed from his ass soon and get his shit together. Blair was an excellent guide, a wonderful man and a fucking Shaman to boot. Jim Ellison needed to recognize how fortunate he was and appreciate it. Her phone rang and she dug around in her pocket. It was Harry.  
  
"You're upset." his voice was soft and concerned and she could hear clothes rustling in the background. No doubt if she wanted, he would be there in minutes. She laid her head back against the wall and smiled softly. Oh how she loved this man.  
  
"I'm alright. I just had lunch with Blair. Jim came as we were wrapping up. He got a little territorial."  
  
The rustling of clothing stopped and the bed springs squeaked softly. Harry gave a sigh. Hermione made a face at the sound. They really were sighing to damn much at the Jim Situation.  
  
"At least he didn't growl at me. That's improvement right?"  
  
A dark chuckle came over the line. "Yeah. Right."  
  
It twisted something in her heart to hear Harry this way and she wished that she was face to face with him in that instant so that she could take him into her arms and pressed his head to her chest, letting him find and centre himself on her heart beat.  
  
She mentally checked her class calendar and Harry's, wondering if she would make it home in time if she left right that second.  
  
Upon hearing another of Harry's soft, wistful sighs she thought 'fuck it' and took off running to the nearest cross walk.  
  
Her sentinel needed her right now.  
  
She'd make time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some unexpected angst. i didn't really plan for this but Blair had some things he needed to get off his chest and i couldn't tell him no. stubborn JIm is just too damned stubborn.

"Wow. It smells so good here."  
  
Harry placed his hands on his hips and took another deep and satisfying breath, letting it out slowly before taking another.  
  
He gazed out unto the valley below with its lush green wooded hillsides and pristine lake. The placid surface was like glass, crystal clear and perfectly reflecting the pine forested slopes of the ice capped mountains towering above them.  
  
The higher altitude meant that the breeze was crisp and cool against his sweaty skin and the colourful dotting of wild flowers filled his nose with a fresh floral scent.  
  
Blair chuckled from where he was stooped over his backpack. "I bet. Living in a big city can be a lot on the senses. That's why I bring Jim up here every couple of months to decompress, breathe in that fresh mountain air and enjoy the peace and quiet."  
  
He plucked out his army surplus canteen with a happy noise and took a couple of gulps, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before passing the canteen to his sentinel. Jim took the canteen without a word, taking a drink and tucking it back into the bag with a frown as Blair made his way to where Harry was standing.  
  
"Now that we're here, how does it compare to the wilds of Africa from a sensory standpoint?"  
  
His face was so eager, his eyes bright and curious that Harry couldn’t help but smile back, his brow wrinkling as he considered his answer.  
  
"Africa was… I'll call it spicy I guess. Musky. All sun baked earth, animal fur and minerals."  
  
He bent down and picked up a pine cone, running his fingers over the rough edges. Blair stooped next to him, watching closely as Harry brought it close to his nose and sniffed at it, humming thoughtfully.  
  
"Here, it's almost sharp. Actual pines trees smell so different from those house cleaning brands that claim to smell like them. The sweetness of the flowers, the cold of the icy mountain tops, the gamey smell of animals that inhabit this place."  
  
"Whoa," Blair had pulled a notebook from somewhere and was scribbling hastily. "That's amazing man. What about your other senses, do you think that you'd be comfortable going through each of them with me now, so that we can compare to the base line we established at the start of the hike?"  
  
Harry shrugged and grinned. "Sure. That's what we came up here to do right?"  
  
The older man nodded enthusiastically, his curly hair bouncing in the loose bun he'd swept it up into to keep it off his perspiring neck.  
  
Hermione watched them chat from her seat on a fallen log, savouring her water and the cool breeze as it caressed her bare calves and the heated skin of her neck. Thankfully her hair had been braided up by Harry the night before, a feat he was very proud of ever since he'd learned it from the women back at the DWB camp.  
  
He'd even taken to You Tube to learn new techniques and would never fail to take photos and send back to Hermione's mum to proudly show to the ladies. She reached up under her sun hat to pat at the neat but sweaty braids with a soft smile.  
  
It always pleased Harry when he was able to do something like that or her. To him, it meant that he was providing well, both as a sentinel and as a life mate. To her, it was just another heart-warmingly charming thing he did for her as her best friend and lover.  
  
To Harry, actions spoke louder than words and for him, doing these small, meaningful things was a way of showing his steadfast love without ever having to say those words.  
  
Words meant almost nothing to the Boy Who Lived. For his whole life people used words to manipulate and control him, to hurt him and break him down. It had been a hard lesson to learn how cheap talk truly was but eventually he'd learned the lesson all too well and had taken it to heart.  
  
Harry showed his love through action and intent. No flowery promises. No fancy and expensive things. But through thoughtfulness and care. Taking his time to show his affection in small and steady ways that went beyond speaking, beyond language. Looking at him as he gestured something at a nodding Blair, she felt suffused with warm affection from her floppy hat straight down to her heavy hiking boots.  
  
She happened to glance at Jim who was deftly checking over his and Blair's knapsacks with angry, jerky movements and the smile slid off her face. Even without opening her senses she could feel the man's anger and discontent.  
  
She scoffed silently, rolling her eyes at his childish sulk and met his eyes steadily when he glanced her way. After a long heavy stare down, he was the first to look away from the open judgement in her eyes but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was utterly fed up with his juvenile behaviour.  
  
Merlin, the man needed to grow up already. It was getting to a point where Harry had started getting tense every time he knew he would have to interact with the other man.  
  
Today's hike was a last ditch effort on all of their parts, Blair hoping that being away from the pressures of the city would soothe any tempers or tensions but, sadly, the results had been one sided. Where Harry seemed to unclench more and more the further they got away from the urban areas and into nature; Jim had stubbornly clung to his anger, creating a cloud of displeasure around himself.  
  
He seemed to cling to the negativity, like a child with a favourite toy who refused to share. It was getting downright annoying and Hermione was ready to just hex him silly.  
  
Maybe a double dose of the cheering charm would give them all a break. She made a complicated face at the thought. Just because they had some diplomatic leeway didn't mean she wanted to face charges for muggle-baiting. Though it would be amusing to see Jim grinning from ear to ear and laughing uproariously.  
  
She carefully turned the idea over in her mind once or twice, savouring the mean spiritedness of it before letting it go with a sigh. Just because she tried to be a good person didn't mean she didn't have a wicked streak in her. Besides, Jim was being an absolute asshole and she wasn't about to be too charitable with someone whose deliberate behaviour hurt her Sentinel.  
  
As Harry and Blair broke up their little pow wow, they all stretched and donned their packs once again, continuing along the trail to the picnic spot Blair had picked out.  
  
Harry held her hand as they trekked up the well-worn trail, threading their fingers together and giving her a soft, pleased smile. Being in nature was really good for him and she mentally made a note for them to visit the Mt. Rainier nature reserve more frequently. Just the two of them.  
  
It would give him a chance to truly stretch the limits of his senses without being overwhelmed like he would be in the city. As she walked, she thought out the logistics of it. They would have to get a car or access to one.  
  
Their apartment did come with a parking space. They both owned bicycles and metro passes to get them around the city and up until then, that had been all they needed. She'd have to discuss it with Harry, see what he thought about making such an investment.  
  
They picnicked near the lake, sharing sandwiches and juice blends Blair had been encouraging them to try. By some miracle of mercy, Blair even got Jim to loosen up a little and the meal was mostly enjoyable.  
  
After shucking their socks and shoes and wading for a while in the cool waters of the lake, the four of the settled down unto the thick picnic blanket for a session in guided meditation.  
  
"I really have to take you guys on a vision quest someday." Blair said as he straightened out the blanket and assumed the lotus position. "A real one, not like those tourist trap 'wilderness training schools' which are just dangerously shoddy sweat lodges with the 'plastic shamans' who charge through the teeth to take you on a 'spirit walk'."  
  
"Talking from experience are you?" Hermione quirked a curious eyebrow. "I can feel a lot of old anger about it from you."  
  
"You can actually feel that? That's excellent Hermione. You're skilled have been greatly improving for it to be sensitive enough to pick up both my anger and to determine how it's been layered over time. I usually keep it buried pretty deep so it's awesome that you were able to sense and identify it so precisely. Great job!"  
  
Hermione flushed with pride and shared a happy look with her sentinel. It seemed that her authority pleasing thing was still something she was working on but Blair and proven himself to worthy of her trust several times over so she let it go.  
  
The curly haired man then shook his head in exasperation. "No personal experience. Thankfully my mother took me on the real thing once when I was eight. She'd been doing a study on the First Peoples and had been invited on a Vision Quest."  
  
He shrugged. "And I say 'thankfully' now but back when I was a kid it was four days in a purification ceremony filled with fasting, burning herbs and chanting. I came out of there feeling like an overcooked noodle but my mind had been officially blown."  
  
He mimed the explosion at both his temples and made the whooshing sound, his cheeks dimpling as the young couple chuckled.  
  
"Out of all the experiences my mother dragged me into as a child, that may have been one of the most influential in both my life and in my journey as a shaman and opened up my young mind to brand new paths I wouldn't have even fathomed otherwise."  
  
"Then we definitely need to go." Harry opined as they all fell into pre-meditation breathing.  
  
Blair's jungle was s vibrant as ever, heavily imbued with the man's innate power that strummed through the very leaves of the trees.  
  
Harry grinned and let his senses relax, feeling them spread out unto the spirit plane which welcomed him with open arms. He could feel Blair and Hermione like warm beacons of light floating around him and the rumbling welcome of Faraji as the lion ambled from the thick foliage.  
  
There was an undercurrent of power he hadn't felt before. A strange new thrum that permeated the ground and the air. It gave Harry a start when he realized that it was Jim. The man had never been with them on a guided mediation before.  
  
Harry whipped his head to where Hermione was communing with Dayo, meeting her bright, intelligent eyes. It was easier to feel each other on the spirit plane, easier to slip into each other's mental spaces with tender care and a deep yearning to be closer.  
  
Jim was like the steady beat of distant drums, powerful and heady and rife with barely restrained emotions bleeding unto the spirit plane and soaking into everything there.  
  
"Merlin…" Hermione uttered under her breath as she scratched and groomed her baboon's thick mane. "He doesn't do things by halves does he?"  
  
Harry flopped down beside her. Pressing his shoulder against hers as his lion sprawled out next to him. "I kinda feel sorry for him though. Not that I don't still think that he's an asshole, but that level of emotional repression has got to physically painful."  
  
Hermione huffed. "He needs to unclench and pull that stick from his ass and let Blair but something else up in there."  
  
Harry's barked laughter echoed through the jungle. "You're awful, Mione."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm also right." She snorted and curled her lip. "Sex has always worked great in settling any tensions within the bond. We know that both from the research and our own personal experience. Maybe Jim and Blair need to work it all out in the bedroom."  
  
Her sentinel grimaced, "Yeah… well, I'm not sure that anyone's working anything out in the bedroom." his whole posture was uncomfortable and Hermione sat up straighter, slightly alarmed.  
  
Harry stared at her for a second before seeming to decide on something. He leaned in closer to her ear and whispered. "I never smell sex on them. Joint sex that is. I can smell when Blair … you know… takes care of himself but they don't smell like each other the way lovers do."  
  
"Their bond is platonic? That's…" Hermione's face ran a gamut of emotions as thoughts raced like quicksilver in her head, finally settling on dismayed disbelief. "That's… heart-breaking actually. And it also explains so much."  
  
She sat back, deep in thought, as Harry leaned against Faraji's flank and fell into his senses. It was best to leave her to parse things out for herself after dropping that bomb into her lap.  
  
He never liked speaking of the private things he was privy to as a sentinel but felt that his guide needed to know that small detail. She was always the one to put things together, arranging her thoughts and creating the bigger picture.  
  
The spirit plane was different from the real world. They both had inherent dangers and were safe in different ways but the spirit plane was a place where he could let his senses go and stretch out without fear of zoning. He felt much closer to his guide here and had no fear that she wouldn't be able to pull him back if he got a little lost.  
  
So, as Faraji rumbled low at his back and Hermione at his side, he closed his eyes and let his hearing reach further than he'd ever tried before.  
  
Naturally, he sought out Hermione first, grounding himself on her heartbeat and soft humming she always did under her breath when she was thinking things through.  
  
Next was Faraji and Dayo with their resonating energy and warm affection. Then the jungle itself which thrummed with power and the mimic of distant birds and roaming creatures.  
  
He meandered along, seeking out Blair was almost second nature. The man was a touch point for them both. A beacon and corner stone in one and Harry and Hermione both would always gravitate to him eventually.  
  
Having Jim there with them this time made the thrall all the stronger, his warrior spirit heavy and heady with power. For all the reluctance he should back in the real world for his gift, he truly was Alpha here in the jungle.  
  
His brow wrinkled as he grew closer to them. Their voices were raised, agitated and Harry could feel his concern grow.  
  
Blair was hissing something at Jim, his wolf agitated as it paced the tree line nearby. Jim's jaw was clenched, his thick, muscular arms crossed over his chest. Faraji appeared crouched at Harry's side, silent and wary as they edged closer.  
  
==  
  
Blair was pacing around the clearing in small agitated steps, fingers running through his wild loose curls. They had clearly been at it for a while because the small man was well on the way to working himself up into a froth.  
  
Harry wondered for a second if he should go. He was basically eavesdropping. Still, they were on a shared spirit plane and both older men knew that Harry was bound to hear them. Besides, he wanted to be close if anything should get out of hand.  
  
Jim seemed to be too upset to notice his presence and that was alarming in itself. He crouched lower, slowing his breathing and extended his hearing just a bit further, just catching Blair's words.  
  
"I can't believe you man. It's been months and you still have this attitude? Harry and Hermione have done nothing to make us believe that we can't trust them. They have jumped through so many hoops for you, trying to reach out to you. Hell, I've jumped through so many fucking hoops for you. And now you want to complain but I'm doing things with them that I don't do with you. Are you kidding me? You know how many times I've offered to take you on a vision quest? Seven times, Jim. Seven fucking times."

He shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"For years I've tried everything I could to help you with your gift. I've given and I've given until I've all but given way to work around your doubts… your fears and to support you because I believe in you and I believe that helping you be the best Sentinel that you can be is a worthy goddamn cause."  
  
He jabbed a finger at Jim's chest.  
  
"And you have fought me the entire fucking way … never giving an inch when I have had to give miles. You keep thinking that this is something that you can just stop doing, that this is some kind of job that you can retire from that one day. Like you can just say that you're fed up with all of it and part ways."  
  
"Don't you know that this is it for me? Don't you realize what I've given up to be with you? What I continue the sacrifice so that I can be your guide?"  
  
Blair huffed a pained laugh, shaking his head. "And you never even say thank you. You make it seem like you're just putting up with me like I'm some kind of inconvenience. That I'm some kind of nagging wife that you can complain about to your co-workers and to your friends."  
  
"Like when I tried to help you with all those little tests and you put me down and made me feel like some fly buzzing around your head. Like I was some bothersome little pest that you could just swat away."  
  
Jim looked stricken. "Chief, I never meant to make you feel that way."  
  
"But you did." Blair retorts bluntly. "You still do with your casual dismissal of anything I say as some kind of flight of fancy as if it hasn't been backed up by research. As if I've just been pulling it all out of my ass for shits and giggles."  
  
"And now that Harry and Hermione are here with actual proof of what we are and now that there is real evidence of what we are to each other, you want to push me away because there's something real enough to break through that great wall of denial you've been building."  
  
Blair placed his hands on his hips with a scowl.  
  
"But at the same time you cling to me, needy and jealous and angry that I don't pay as much attention to you anymore is that it? Because I am not paying attention to you alone you're not the centre of my world anymore and that pisses you off because you don't have your Chief… your HairBoy at your beck and call anymore running to you every time you need something, am I right?"  
  
  
"God, Jim…" Blair let his head fall back with a bone deep sigh. "You're acting like a spoiled child and a large part of it is my fault because I enabled you and I didn't stand up to you because if I did I thought that you what push me right out of your life that would have killed me because you know that I love you."  
  
"Blair … " Jim's voice cracked. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Are you? Are you really sorry or is it because you think that you will lose this sweet little situation you have going and that you fear you'll end up alone because nobody will cater to your every whim and put up with your bullshit like I do?"  
  
The smaller man quickly dashed away tears from his eyes.  
  
"Do you know what it feels like to be dismissed every time you want to try something new? Try to have an idea that goes against the 'Way Things Jim Ellison Says They Are'? Even when we were back working with the police I felt as if you never really appreciated anything I did or suggested. That you were just humouring me and when my ideas worked they were either just luck or a fluke."  
  
"It's like my work at the University. All the progress I've made on the subject all the while dragging your stubborn ass along because I couldn't leave you behind."  
  
"Did you know that I was offered several prestigious positions and was asked to go on important expeditions, even asked to lecture abroad and I had to turn them down because you didn't want to leave the city because you didn't want the inconvenience of having to change anything in your life that doesn't directly benefit you?"  
  
"I didn't know about any of that." Jim protested, getting puffed up. Blair just rolled his eyes at the man.  
  
"Oh please. I told you about several of them in the past few years and got nothing from you but complaints and grief. After a while I got fed up of beating my head against a brick wall so I stopped asking and I guess that's my fault too because I wasn't strong enough to leave your ass behind then to see my own dreams, thinking that I have some kind of ancient and noble duty to you. That we would doing something to protect the innocent. Protecting the tribe.  
  
He gave another mirthless laugh. "And the stupid thing is that I let myself be put in this position. I let myself be pushed into this pigeonhole and I don't really know what I would tell my younger self if I were to stand before him today."  
  
His shoulders slumped and he took a deep, wavering breath.  
  
"I live in your house. I plan my day around you. I plan on meals around you. I make sure that there's nothing there to harm you or hurt you. I've let myself become your servant instead of being your partner. But the awful thing is that I know that you know I love you and I'll let you ignore that fact and continue to treat me like just a friend. And not even a close friend but that kind of friend that is a bit too much and you have to tolerate after a while and you just humour them so that you can get away from them faster."  
  
  
Jim looked devastated at the words that are coming out of Blair's mouth. "My God… I never knew."  
  
But Blair wasn't going to let things like that slide. Too much had built up inside of him and it was all coming out.  
  
"What you never knew how you treated me or you never knew that I loved you because either denial would be utter bullshit. I've lived with you for over a decade Jim, you're not that dense. Not with all the times I've all but offered myself to you and you've just brushed me away and pretended it never happened because then you wouldn't have to deal with it. Deal with me.."  
  
"Chief … " Jim's voice fell to a whisper. "What can I do?"  
  
The curly haired man ran a trembling hand down his face.  
  
"For this to work you need to meet me halfway. I cannot be the one always running after you anymore and you can't continue to be so stubborn and unchanging. You can't dismiss me when I say something that you don't agree with. You have to be my partner in this. You have to be there for me as much as I am there for you."  
  
He moved closer to his sentinel, hands clasped over his heart.  
  
"You have to pull yourself your head out of the sand and look around you because I'm right here. I'm right here Jim and I love you but I can't stay here waiting forever.  
  
Jim flinched, his face paling. "What do you mean you mean you're leaving, you just going to leave me like this.?"  
  
Blair gaped then snarled in anger. "Are you fucking kidding me? Haven't you heard anything I've said. I said that I need a partner and I want it to be you. I've been by your side long enough that you have to believe that."  
  
He shook his head running his fingers through his loose curls his eyes shining with unshed tears.  
  
"I need you" Jim pleaded.  
  
Blair laugh was hollow. "I know you need me but do you want me? I need you to love me like I love you in order for us to do this. In order for us to make this work we have to both be all in. I can't do this by myself."  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Jim asked.  
  
Blair let out noise a frustration. "I cannot be the one to tell you what to do. You have to decide what you want and own up to it. You need to make a decision because I can't be kept hanging in the balance like this anymore. It's like I'm walking a tightrope without a net and I don't know if you will be there to catch me or not if I fall.  
  
"I can't live like that just as much as I can't live without you and it's tearing me apart to be so close to you yet so cut off from you because you never talk to me about anything important. You never let me in. You're so closed off I feel like I'm out in the cold, forever looking in."  
  
Just then Blair's wolf leapt from the treeline to sit at his feet the man's face crumpled. He fell to his knees, hugging the giant animal as he burst into tears.  
  
Jim look utterly heartbroken, his Panther, who had been lounging warily nearby, disappearing into the trees. Harry felt Hermione at his side and slung his arm around her, pulling her warmth against his side as she buried her face in his neck, her silent tears wetting his shirt as we both cried for their friend.  
  
Suddenly, a strong wind swept through the jungle shaking the trees and rustling the leaves. And then, from one moment to the next, they were all back at the picnic spot, barely a ripple across the crystal clear lake.  
  
No one commented on the tears in all of their eyes, hastily wiped away; all falling silent as they packed up the picnic and strapped on their backpacks for the hike back to the car.  
  
Hermione wrapped her arms around Blair, giving him along an long octopus hug that had them both sniffling once more. Harry deftly stepped into place, bracketing Blair's other side as they walked the trail back.  
  
Jim was striding ahead of them, long legs eating up the distance on the trail. He hadn't spoken a word since the meditation, his face looked carved from stone and his scent pile a riot of swirling emotions. Blair seemed both exhausted and relieved as if letting all that was festering in his chest out had given him some kind of peace.  
  
They made idle conversation on the way back when the silence got to be too much and soon enough they were back at the car. The drive back to the city was tense as they were in close quarters in the cab of Jim's truck, Hermione all but in Harry's lap as Blair was tucked close to Jim's side.  
  
As they dropped Harry and Hermione back at their apartment, Blair got out of the truck and pulled them each into a hug, telling them that they would be ok and that he would call them in the morning. Harry seemed reluctant to let the man go, giving Jim a final scorching glare over the smaller man's shoulders before finally letting Hermione pull him gently away.  
  
Even though they agreed not to actively meddle in the other couple's relationship, as difficult as that was to since them both wanted to take the man up to their apartment, wrap him in blankets and cuddle his face off, all they could do was be there to support him when he needed. Whatever happened.  
  
The elevator ride back up to the apartment left them feeling exhausted and they took a bath a warm bath together wash off all the frustration of the day, talking silently to each other as they soaked in the infused water and kissed softly, taking comfort in their own closeness as a couple.  
  
Hermione reassured him that, despite their urge to protect the older Guide, Blair was a grown man and capable of handling himself. That and that no matter what happened he was tribe and they would be there for him.  
  
Harry then admitted that, even though the Alpha had yet to open up to them, he still saw Jim as Tribe as well. Hermione just sighed and kissed the crown of his head in silent acceptance and agreement, hoping that the Alpha pair would be able to truly work things out between them. They'd had so many adults disappoint them in their lives and they both desperately hoped that this pair would not follow that less than stellar example.  
  
They made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, craving comfort food above all; and had hot chocolate with marshmallows for desert; snuggled up in front of the fake fire place.  
  
"It is going to be okay you'll see." Hermione whispered against Harry's hair, hoping desperately what she wouldn't be proved a liar. "One way or the other it will all work out and we will handle whatever comes because we will be together."  
  
Harry just nodded silently and tightened his arms around her.  
  
They went to the bed, shrugging off their fluffy robes and curled around each other, seeking comfort in the soft warmth of skin on bare skin. They kissed softly, tenderly, savouring and enjoying each other as their bond sang between them.  
  
After a while Hermione pulled back, looking down at Harry's earnest, loving gaze.  
  
"I'm ready." She admitted. "I want us to complete the bond… fully. It's time."  
  
Harry blinked then ran his hand up and down her trembling back. "Are you sure? I will wait as long as you need."  
  
The young guide nodded with a small yet adoring smile.  
  
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to be as close as we can be. I want to complete this bond between us because I don't know what I would do without you. I love you Harry Potter. My Best Friend. My Sentinel."  
  
Harry's green eyes shone brilliantly as he smiled. "I love you too, Hermione Granger. My Best Friend. My Guide."  
  
They fell together, bodies moving together; enjoying one another as they sought release. Then, as they both were joined together in bliss, the bond between them blossomed into completion, glowing and pulsing like a beacon in the darkest night.  
  
They felt Blair's effervescent joy and Jim's quiet respect hook into them, cementing the older men truly as Tribe and filling a hollow inside of them both that they hadn't even realized had been missing. They laughed together, crying with happiness and fell back into each other's arms with scorching hot kisses and delighted wandering hands.  
  
They had each other now, truly and completely. They were a team. And whatever lay ahead, whatever the future brought their way; they would face it together. They had their Tribe… their Family… Their Friends. All their beloved people together.  
  
And together… they would win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is what i have so far. i want to add some more but i'm currently going through some stuff so it may have to wait until i'm in a place to tackle this again.

**Author's Note:**

> I found out that they shot the TV show mainly in Vancouver so i'm using there and Seattle both as visual inspiration for my weird fusion Cascade.


End file.
